Nelson O. Fitts
Education
- Princeton University, A.B. 1996, cum laude
- Columbia Law School, J.D. 1999, James Kent Scholar (Editor, Columbia Law Review)
Clerkships
Honorable John G. Heyburn II, United States District Court, Western District of Kentucky, 1999 – 2000
Nelson O. Fitts
Nelson Fitts joined Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in 2000 and was named partner in 2007. He practices in the firm’s Antitrust group, where he focuses on analysis of competition issues in mergers, acquisitions, auctions, joint ventures, takeover defense and advocacy before federal, state and foreign antitrust authorities.
Mr. Fitts represents parties in a broad range of energy, industrial, chemical, medical, pharmaceutical, financial, and technology transactions. He is a frequent writer and lecturer on antitrust and mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Fitts joined the firm following his clerkship for the Honorable John G. Heyburn II of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville. He received an A.B. in History cum laude from Princeton University in 1996 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1999. At Columbia, Mr. Fitts was a James Kent Scholar and an editor of the Columbia Law Review. He serves as a trustee of the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City and Woodberry Forest School in Virginia.
Select Publications
- U.S. M&A Antitrust Enforcement: 2023 and the Year Ahead,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, January 22, 2024 and NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, January 31, 2024.
- FTC Alleges Serial Acquirer Theory in Challenge to Consummated PE Deals,
in NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, October 1, 2023.
- FTC Proposes Sweeping Changes to HSR Reporting Obligations,
in NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, July 6, 2023.
- FTC Diminishes Role of Administrative Law Judge,
in NYU Law School’s Blog on Compliance and Enforcement, June 12, 2023.
- Spin-Off Guide - 2021,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, June 15, 2021.
- United Kingdom Blocks Merger Following U.S. Clearance,
in Oxford Business Law Blog, University of Oxford, April 13, 2020.
- Merger Control in a 'No Deal' Brexit,
in Oxford Business Law Blog, University of Oxford, January 17, 2019.
- The Government Shutdown's Effect on Deals,
in Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 9, 2019.
- DOJ Challenges Activist Use of HSR Act's "Passive Investor" Exemption,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, April 7, 2016.
- U.S. Antitrust Agencies and Challenges to Mergers,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, December 17, 2015.
- District Court Denies Preliminary Injunction in FTC's "Potential Competition" Merger Case,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter Volume 55 Number 3, November 2015.
- Split FTC Charges Activist Hedge Fund With Violating the HSR Act,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, August 27, 2015.
- Justice Department Fines Unsuccessful Merger Parties for "Gun Jumping",
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, November 19, 2014.
- European Commission Holds Private Equity Owner Liable for Portfolio Company's Cartel Fine,
in ABA’s “Hot Topics” in International Antitrust Law, April 29, 2014.
- FTC Targets Activist Abuse of the HSR Act's "Passive Investor" Exemption,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter Volume 49 Number 3, November 2012.
- Dodd-Frank Act May Complicate Antitrust Review of Acquisitions,
in Banking Report (BNA) Volume 95 Number 7, August 24, 2010.
- U.S. Antitrust Agencies Unveil Proposed New Horizontal Merger Guidelines,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter Volume 44 Number 5, July 2010.
